Every year, a day is set aside nationally to celebrate the rule of law and to raise awareness of the legal process and how it has contributed to the rights and freedoms that Americans share. While the general theme of every Law Day is to celebrate the rule of law, each year a timely theme is selected. The theme for the 2009 Law Day is “A Legacy of Liberty—Celebrating Lincoln’s Bicentennial.” In addition, in contrast to the title Law Day, some bar associations celebrate Law Week or Law Month. The Jacksonville Bar Association (JBA) begins its celebration in late March and continues the celebration until late May.
In order to appreciate Law Day, it is important to understand its genesis. Law Day dates back to 1957 when American Bar Association President Charles S. Rhyne envisioned a special national day for celebrating our legal system. In 1958 President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day as a day of national dedication to the principles of government under law. Finally, in 1968 the first of May was designated by a joint resolution of Congress as the official date for celebrating Law Day.
This year the 2009 Law Week committee has worked hard to uphold the traditions and standards set forth in years past. The committee is made up of the following Jacksonville attorneys: Fraz Ahmed, Giselle Carson, Christa Figgins, Caroline Emery, Crystal Broughan, Carol Mirando and myself. Special thanks is also due to JBA President Joe Camerlengo, JBA Board of Governors member Michael McCoy, and JBA Executive Director Susan Sowards for their time and effort in directing, supporting, and advising the 2009 Law Week committee.
In addition to celebrating the rule of law and Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial, the JBA celebrates Law Day by reaching out to the residents of Jacksonville, the public schools in Duval, Clay, and Nassau counties, and charities in Jacksonville. This year’s events began with the taping of the Law Day cable television production highlighting the 2009 Law Day events. This program will run throughout the month of April on Friday nights on Comcast Ch. 29. On March 25, Mayor John Peyton, with the Honorable Judge Lance M. Day, Circuit Court Judge, in attendance, signed a proclamation declaring May 1, 2009 as Law Day in Jacksonville. The next event on the calendar is the JBA’s first annual “Rendezvous on the River,” which will take place on Thurs., April 9 from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. and was designed to kickoff the 2009 festivities by offering an opportunity to all Jacksonville professionals to gather at River City Brewing Company for the purposes of raising money for “Learn to Read Jacksonville.”
The 2009 Law Week committee is also pleased to continue its tradition of facilitating presentations to public schools located in Duval, Clay, and Nassau counties, which involves a judge or attorney volunteering their time to speak to classrooms regarding the rule of law and its importance in our society. Last year’s presentations reached over 600 students and we are hoping for an even larger audience of students this year. We are also hosting an art supply and book drive for elementary schools and a poster contest at Spring Park Elementary. In addition, we will be placing boxes in various law firms and businesses in Jacksonville for the month of April in an effort to obtain donations of much needed toiletries and other items to benefit the Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless.
The April events continue and include a naturalization ceremony to be held on April 23, wherein individuals will take the oath to become American citizens before the Honorable Senior Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger, U.S. District Court. On April 25th, Florida Coastal School of Law is sponsoring the second annual High School Mock Trial Competition. The teams competing this year include, The Bolles School, First Coast High School, Fletcher High School, Forrest High School and Ribault High School.
On May 4th the JBA will host a Law Day luncheon at the Hyatt, which will feature Steve Zack, President-Elect of the ABA, as the keynote speaker. This luncheon will also be a time to reflect on the success of the 2009 events, and to recognize the recipient of the Lawyer of the Year Award and the Liberty Bell Award. Finally, we are proud to offer four law clinics this year in an effort to aid the community with guidance on timely legal issues such as naturalization, bankruptcy, consumer’s rights and family law. Theses clinics will be held at Florida Coastal School of law from 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. on the following dates: Naturalization clinic, May 19 by David Vedder and Giselle Carson; Bankruptcy clinic, May 21 by Robert Wilbert; Consumer’s Rights clinic, May 26 by Laura Boeckman; and Family Law clinic, May 28 by Paola Parra.
The 2009 Law Week committee looks forward to another successful year and hopes to reach the community in a positive way. If you would like to contribute or be a part of any of the above events, please contact me at 356-1306 or [email protected].